Snowblinded
by Beautiful Thief
Summary: A collection of ficlets and drabbles originally written for NijiHimu on my tumblr.
1. Getting one of them off of drugs AU

Written on 6/9/2014 for stephanericher on tumblr for the AU ficlet meme:

35\. one of them trying to get the other one off of drugs au

* * *

Tatsuya is one of Shuuzou's more… _difficult_ cases.

He's checked in by a guy who calls himself his brother; well, Shuuzou can't see any resemblance between them when he looks at the guy, but that's what the big red-head says, and he's not going to argue with him. Tatsuya's been in and out of rehab for years, according to Taiga.

"Don't give him any female nurses," he says to Shuuzou. "He convinces them he's ready to go when he isn't."

Shuuzou can see why it keeps happening; even with the sickly pallor of his skin, and the sweating and the deep, bruise-like circles under his eyes, Tatsuya is beautiful, and female nurses clamor to get a look at him.

"I don't have a problem," is the first thing Tatsuya says to Shuuzou when big red leaves.

"Sure," Shuuzou tells him, because the kid's gotta be dreaming if he thinks he's the first person to tell him that he doesn't have a problem even when he's shaking through his withdrawal symptoms. "If you don't have a problem, then spending some time here shouldn't be too hard for you."

Tatsuya's prone to throwing punches when he's going through a particularly nasty stage of withdrawal (he gets Shuuzou good the first time, because big red neglected to mention he's violent, and he wasn't ready. Shuuzou red flags his case file for it), and he refuses to speak to his counsellor. He speaks to the female nurses as they walk past to try and win them into getting his case out of Shuuzou's hands, and they flutter in his wake.

"What's your damage?" Shuuzou asks one afternoon while he's taking Tatsuya back to his room.

Tatsuya's smile is sharp and cutting as he looks at Shuuzou from the corner of his eye and asks, "What's yours?"

* * *

Strictly speaking, he's not supposed to get too attached to the patients, but he slips up when he catches Tatsuya watching a basketball game on one of the TVs. At the time, he'd thought that maybe a connection would be more helpful to Tatsuya's case.

"You interested in basketball?"

Tatsuya looks at him. "Are you?"

"I played when I was a kid."

Tatsuya nods to himself. "Me too."

And that was where it all started to go downhill.

Tatsuya still won't talk to his counsellor, but he talks to Shuuzou sometimes. It's nothing substantial; bits and pieces, fragments that mean nothing, but it's more than he gives to anyone else. Shuuzou talks to him too, about his dad and his family and friends, and about his work, about how he moved here when he was a teenager and the struggles of the migration. Tatsuya always smiles a little bit more honestly when Shuuzou tells him stories from his life, and every smile he gets seems to steal a part of him away. Shuuzou always asks to hear Tatsuya's stories, but he never shares - he deflects and asks Shuuzou about how his friends and siblings are instead.

* * *

Of course, they can't keep him forever, especially if he's not getting anywhere; there are places here for people who _want_ to be here, and Shuuzou calls Tatsuya's brother the day before they kick him out.

Taiga sounds desperate when he asks if there's any way they can keep him, but Shuuzou's already out of options; he's done everything he could to keep him in as long as possible already.

_He's going to kill himself, _is all Shuuzou can think as he watches Tatsuya leave.

* * *

Tatsuya shows up six months later, and he checks himself in.

"I don't have a problem," he says, and he smiles at Shuuzou.


	2. Roommates AU

Written on 8/9/2014 for stephanericher on tumblr for the AU ficlet meme:

8\. roommates au

* * *

Shuu was very easy to live with, for the most part.

He took care of himself with the ease of someone who's long used to looking after themselves and others. He cooked well enough, kept his things tidy and out of the way, and always asked Tatsuya if there was anything he needed before he went to go shopping.

The main problem with living with Shuu, for Tatsuya, was that it was very hard to pretend you weren't wildly attracted to your friend when you saw them every day. Somehow, seeing Shuu be domestic around the house just made everything _worse_. Tatsuya liked to watch him in the kitchen; he was no Taiga, but he was definitely comfortable, and his food always tasted a lot better than Tatsuya's did. It had a sort of 'made with love' mother-y quality to it that Tatsuya kind of envied, and found surprisingly adorable.

Of course, Shuu didn't actually _enjoy_ cooking, but it was cheaper overall to cook for one's self, and Shuu didn't like to needlessly throw money away when he didn't have to (though, Tatsuya knew, he definitely indulged himself in his favourite brands of sportswear, few of which would be considered _cheap_).

Also, Tatsuya couldn't cook at all. So there was that too.

When he came home from his evening classes one night, Shuu was asleep on the couch. He must have dozed off waiting for him to come back; the TV was making some ambient noise in the background, and it was all just so very cute.

(One day, Tatsuya might question why he was so drawn to tough-looking softies. One day. Maybe.)

Shuu had left some food out on the counter for him, but there wasn't a note with it. That was okay; Tatsuya didn't need it to know what Shuu had meant for this to look like. (He would have gotten up and turned off the TV, as if he'd just finished watching whatever had been on and told him that the food on the counter was for him, and he was going to bed, and despite himself, he would tell Tatsuya not to stay up too late.)

Tatsuya leaned over and kissed Shuu's forehead.


	3. Meeting on a Train Ride AU

Written on 8/9/2014 for stephanericher on tumblr for the AU ficlet meme:

23\. meeting on a train ride au

* * *

There are a lot of things that Shuuzou missed about Tokyo, but being squashed on the train was not one of them.

The worst part was that he still had a while to go before he could get off the train, too. When had he gotten so much more conscious of personal space? It must have been a thing he picked up in America.

The doors open, and Shuuzou holds onto the handle as people surge around him.

When the doors close, and the train is no less packed than before, Shuuzou takes a moment to look around again, and he notices that there's a stupidly beautiful man standing right next to him. It's been a while since he's seen someone who was so ridiculously fortunate in the genetic lottery.

The train car bumps and the same moment Shuuzou realises the guy doesn't have anything to hold onto is the same one the guy falls on him.

Shuuzou's pretty strong; his grip was good and his feet had been firmly planted, so this wasn't as much of a disaster as it could have been. He grabs the handsome man with his free arm to steady him, and is rewarded with a smile that blows him away.

_holy shit_

"Thank you," the stranger says. "You can let go."

Shuuzou made sure he was standing up straight and balanced before he let go.

"I hate trains," he said, for lack of anything else to say. The beautiful stranger smiled again.

"I have to admit, I have other ways I prefer to travel," he responded. He looked Shuuzou over as well as he could how close they were standing, but his face didn't give away anything about what he might be thinking.

"Nijimura Shuuzou," he introduced himself.

"Himuro Tatsuya," the other man answered, and when Shuuzou felt some very familiar calluses on Himuro's hands as they shook them, he decided right then and there that he was going to give this beautiful guy his number before he got off the train.


	4. Meeting in Prison AU

Written on 9/9/2014 for stephanericher on tumblr for the AU ficlet meme:

37\. meeting in prison au

* * *

One of the first things that Shuuzou learned upon his arrival at juvenile detention was that in general, kids in for violent crimes - like Shuuzou, who was in for assault - were considered a different breed to your petty compulsive thieves, and your gang kids.

…and then, among all the rest of the low lives in here, there was Himuro Tatsuya, who was universally considered to be pretty much a different species.

Honestly, Shuuzou didn't know much about him, except that he was beautiful. There were all sorts of rumours about why a guy like Tatsuya was in here, but no one seemed to know for sure.

Shuuzou had been in there two weeks and heard various things from 'prostitution' to 'murder', especially after that huge fight that broke out last week where Tatsuya alone had broken two guys' ribs and three noses.

(the fact that Tatsuya, by virtue of being in juvie with the rest of them, was unlikely to be a prostitute, clearly flew right by the heads of most of the people here.)

That was when he decided to just go up and ask the kid himself. He could probably take Tatsuya in a fight if it went bad.

…probably.

Tatsuya tended to eat alone, since he didn't seem to fit with the other kids. It was easy enough for Shuuzou to head over and sit across from him, even though around them, whispers ran furiously.

Wary eyes looked up at him.

"So, I've heard a bunch of things," Shuuzou started, "but I wanted to ask, since the rest of the braindead lumps seem content to just speculate wildly. What _are_ you in here for?"

A little smile quirked on Tatsuya's mouth. "You know," he said slowly. "No one's ever actually asked." He looked down at the food. "Grand theft auto," he said. "I took a few joyrides in some rich guy's cars."

Shuuzou couldn't help it. He snorted with laughter. "That's it?"

Written on 9/9/2014 for stephanericher on tumblr for the AU ficlet meme:

37\. meeting in prison au

Tatsuya didn't seem to take offense. "That's it," he agreed. He propped his elbow on the table and leaned his head against his palm. "So you know who I am," he said, "but who are you, and what are you in for?"

Something about the gesture made Shuuzou know why some of the boys thought Tatsuya was a prostitute. It made his mouth run dry, as he came to full awareness that even with unflattering orange jumpsuit washing out his skin tone, Tatsuya was almost unbelievably beautiful, and he made the simple act of looking at him from that one eye, lips slightly curved, seductive.

"Nijimura. Shuuzou," he managed to get out around his suddenly clumsy tongue. "Assault."

There was no break in his expression, but still, Tatsuya's response was one of surprise. "Curious. You don't look like a thug."

"I'm not."

Tatsuya's smile deepened. "You should tell me your story, then. I think I'd like to hear it."


	5. Ghost-Living Person AU

Written on 12/9/2014 for stephanericher on tumblr for the AU ficlet meme:

41\. ghost/living person au

(warnings for character death (well... obviously...) and lots of angst.)

* * *

If getting the first phone call from home that Shuu'd taken a king hit and was in the hospital with brain damage, and then the second phone call as he made desperate preparations to return back home for a 'family emergency' (since 'my boyfriend might be dying' probably wouldn't have gone over quite as well) informing him that said boyfriend had died weren't enough to make Tatsuya question the world and fate in general's poor taste in jokes (it seemed destiny itself had something out for him), then Shuu's specter sitting at the end of his bed the day after he'd come back from LA after attending his dead boyfriend's funeral was more than enough.

At first he thought he was hallucinating, even though he hadn't taken any drugs, and there was no history of psychosis in his family's medical history, and then he'd wondered aloud if he was dreaming, and then Shuu scowled.

"If you were dreaming," Shuu asked, "why would I still be dead?"

Blunt and honest, as always. It stung, still, the reminder that Shuu was dead, even though it was coming from Shuu's mouth, in Shuu's voice, things that should have been reminders that he was _alive_.

"_Fuck_," Tatsuya muttered. He'd cried enough over the last few days and he was supposed to be going back to classes today. "I can't deal with this."

"Tatsuya."

"You're dead," he whispered, and pressed the heels of his palms into his eyes. "You're _dead_, Shuu, what the fuck is going on?"

He felt his shoulder break out in goosebumps, and pulled a hand away from his eyes only to catch Shuu frowning as he pulled away. Shuu'd tried to touch him, Tatsuya's mind supplied almost hysterically. His dead boyfriend's ghost had tried to touch him and given him goosebumps.

"I don't know," Shuu said. "I don't know what's going on."

The worst part, Tatsuya thought as he called the student dorm supervisor to say that he was still jetlagged and didn't think he would be able to get through his classes today, was that even though he could speak to him, he couldn't touch him, wouldn't be able to feel the comfort of Shuu's strength while he held onto him or his warmth when he kissed him. It had been hard enough to face the fact he'd never have these things again, and he'd only barely just started processing it. The fact that Shuu was _there_, clearly and undeniably, and Tatsuya _still_ couldn't have him was perhaps the world's biggest _fuck you Himuro Tatsuya_ that he'd ever experienced.

* * *

Days pass.

Shuu doesn't.

Tatsuya feels like he's going slowly and quietly insane.

He thinks Shuu's figured out why he's still here, and Tatsuya thinks he knows too, but he's never going to say it.

He's not sure he can give Shuu up a second time, even if it has to be like this.

* * *

("It's my fault you died," he whispers, and Shuu reaches to pull him into his embrace from where he's kneeling on the floor, but his phantom limbs go right through Tatsuya, and he can't stop crying, because Shuu's telling him he's wrong, that it's not his fault.

But Tatsuya cannot bring himself to believe that Shuu would still be dead today if he hadn't come back to Japan.

And because fate and the universe hates him, Shuu is gone in the morning when Tatsuya wakes up.)


	6. Diagnosed with a Terminal Illness AU

Written on 12/9/2014 for stephanericher on tumblr for the au ficlet meme:

44\. one of them being diagnosed with a terminal illness au

warnings for character death as should be pretty obvious given the prompt

also late addition to the collection is late lmao

* * *

The thing was, Tatsuya was _healthy_, up until the point when he wasn't.

Logically, Shuuzou knew that wasn't the case - that simply things the both of them hadn't thought could be signs of sickness in actual fact were - but it had _felt_ that way, because Tatsuya was Tatsuya. He was active, he didn't smoke, he ate fairly well, and…

And Shuuzou should have known already, that doing all the right things didn't make you immune to sickness.

It was _Tatsuya._ Tatsuya was never sick. And then he was, and it all happened so fast that Shuuzou couldn't get his head around it even as he took him to his appointments and took care of him because Tatsuya didn't have the energy to do a lot of things himself anymore.

Because they hadn't known, because they hadn't realised, it had been really late when the doctors finally made the diagnosis. Still, Tatsuya had seemed to have relatively good odds for recovery, and doctors worked _miracles_ here; his own father had gotten a lot better, though he'd never recovered entirely. (He was gone now, but he'd survived so much longer than Shuuzou had thought he possibly would back when he was fifteen and it felt like he was going to have to take the driver's seat in a world that seemed like it was falling down around him)

When Tatsuya told him he was going to die, that the treatments had failed and that there was no good prognosis, Shuuzou refused to believe it, because Tatsuya never stopped fighting. He was a nasty bastard like that sometimes, even if he did tend to take on all the guilt later. Tatsuya _never_ stopped fighting; there was always an element of rage and desperation to Tatsuya, even though he'd mellowed somewhat as he'd gotten older.

(It was later, when he was away from Tatsuya, that his mind finally processed that he was going to lose Tatsuya before his time, just like his father, and wasn't it supposed to rain on days like this?

He came home to Tatsuya with bloody fists where he'd punched the wall until the skin had broken open, but Tatsuya didn't say anything as Shuuzou put his old knowledge to use and applied antiseptic and bandages, only ran his long, gentle, graceful fingers over the places where he remembered seeing the cracks in his skin and pressed his lips against the backs and palms of his hands.)

He'd said he didn't want to spend the rest of his life sick and in pain, to grasp at just that tiny little bit more time and it broke Shuuzou's heart even as he agreed, because watching Tatsuya suffer had been the worst part back while he'd still believed that he would live.

Tatsuya had always liked to say that you shouldn't expect the world to be fair, and Shuuzou never had. But there was painful cruelty in the way the world was tearing Tatsuya away so slowly and painfully, and leeching everything that made him Tatsuya away from him before it killed him.

(It took his body that played basketball and it took the fire away, because his body was too exhausted just by being at war with itself to find the energy to kindle a spark; and it took away so many other things besides, and dimly, Shuuzou wonders if it's ever possible to be ready to watch someone die again and again this way, because Tatsuya did not die once, he died so many times in ways that mattered more than the moment that his body finally failed).

He wants to say they saw the last days coming, and that they did something special, but they didn't, because Tatsuya couldn't really move around all that much and did little more than sleep. What he can say is that they fell asleep together the night that he died, and that he woke up alone.


	7. Going Through a Divorce AU

Written on 2/10/2014 for stephanericher on tumblr for the AU ficlet meme:

50\. going through a divorce au

(I wasn't suuuuuuper happy with these but you liked them, SO.)

* * *

_the one where only one of them is getting divorced_

(feat. lawyer!tatsuya bc you wanted it)

—-

Most people were surprised to hear that Shuuzou's marriage had collapsed.

Their friends always remarked upon their steadiness, on how well suited they had been, and how well they had gotten along.

Shuuzou had always been good at the 'united front' projection, and his wife had been similarly good at it; and few people were aware that Shuuzou could have a very bad temper when he got worked up.

The few people who didn't seem surprised were those who knew them best - those people who'd been surprised when they'd announced that they were getting married so young, those who'd known their temperaments best.

Those who'd thought they'd never truly been suited at all, but never said anything because it wasn't their place.

Shuuzou hadn't really known where to start looking for a divorce lawyer; as he waited in the lobby of a small firm that had been recommended to him by a friend, he felt strangely vulnerable.

One of the people who worked here would be responsible for ensuring that he got treated fairly, after all; this was not something Shuuzou could do by himself. His soon-to-be-ex wife had a lawyer and his friends had largely been of the opinion that it would be better safe than sorry in regards to having someone with the appropriate knowledge to ensure he didn't get screwed over.

"Nijimura Shuuzou?"

He looked up towards the voice.

The young man who'd called him was smiling slightly; his hair fell over one of his eyes and the suit he wore looked both expensive and _very_ good on him.

"That's me," he said, and stood.

"I'm Himuro Tatsuya," the lawyer introduced himself. "I look forward to working with you."

When Himuro turned, motioning for Shuuzou to follow him to his office, Shuuzou wondered almost faintly as his gaze dropped how the hell he was going to maintain a professional working relationship with this stunning man.

—-

_the one where both of them are getting divorced_

_—-_

Shuuzou had gone mostly because his friends, while wonderful and supportive, were all either in stable happy long term relationships or married, and he was sick of their sympathetic looks in which they showcased exactly how much they just didn't really understand the upheaval his life was going through now.

(It seemed that he was always ahead of the curve in that manner; losing a parent earlier in life than most, and then becoming a divorcee. He wouldn't be the only one, statistics insisted, but he _was_ the first.)

So here he was at this support group aimed at recent divorcees, or those currently going through the process of divorce. Clearly Shuuzou wasn't the only one who found that his friends couldn't quite relate to some of the things that he was going through.

He was kind of just getting his bearings when one of the guys walked up to him to introduce himself.

"You looked a little lost," the man said, and wow he was beautiful; how the hell was this guy getting _divorced_? If Shuuzou married someone that beautiful he'd never let them go.

…maybe there was something messed up about his personality.

"Maybe a little," he answered, kind of wary. "I'm Nijimura Shuuzou."

"Himuro Tatsuya," he introduced himself with a smile. "It's nice to meet you."

Shuuzou looked out at the group. "So, what brings you here? I mean, other than the obvious."

Himuro looked up at him, and something amused settled in the corner of his mouth. "Much like everyone else here," he said, "I'm here to pick someone up."

—-

_the one where they're getting divorced from each other_

_—-_

Tatsuya couldn't look at Shuu across the table.

Next to them, the lawyers discussed the division of their assets, the division of their _lives_, but Tatsuya couldn't really pay attention; his gaze was locked on the table. He could feel Shuu's gaze on him, and he wished that he could throw his pride away and beg, ask for a second chance (or third, or fourth, or whatever chance he was up to now), but he couldn't.

He knew Shuu wouldn't either, because Shuu was the one who'd left.

People always said that the end of a relationship was rarely one party's fault; Tatsuya had never really subscribed to this philosophy, and he wasn't certain that it was applicable here, either. He was fairly certain the blame laid entirely on his shoulders; Shuu was right to leave if their relationship wasn't working, if _Tatsuya_ wouldn't let it work.

He'd always been too proud. Shuu had bent himself over trying to find compromises Tatsuya never agreed to, even if he wanted to. _Pride_ was always his biggest sin, his greatest downfall, and here it was; it had pushed away a man who'd loved him, and prevented his tongue from moving as he left.


	8. Joyriding

NijiHimu joyriding in LA because ninannarambling is an ENABLER and a particular piece of art that can be found on basketballpoetsociety's tumblr. 

* * *

It's a terrible idea, so of _course_ it's Tatsuya's idea.

Tatsuya's young and angry and bitter, a lot like Shuuzou used to be. In a lot of ways, he reminds Shuuzou of himself a few years ago, except that his parents seem to be entirely absent from his life in a way Shuuzou's weren't, and Tatsuya's convinced himself that his mentor – a lovely woman who Shuuzou quite likes, and who is clearly worried about Tatsuya – doesn't really _get_ it.

She probably gets it better than Tatsuya wants to admit, of course, which is probably why he denies it so violently.

Sometimes, Shuuzou can't help the feeling that Tatsuya is really terrible for him. He pulls out Shuuzou's old bad habits so easily. He has his mother wrapped around his fingers, because he _looks_ the part of a good, well-bred, wholesome boy, and his beautiful face and smile make people around him believe that god is real or some shit like that.

His mother doesn't worry when he tells her he's spending the evening with Tatsuya, even though she should, because Tatsuya never wants to do anything good or legal after dark.

Tatsuya knows his face is a weapon, and he's never afraid to use it.

"Shuu," he says and he's got an angel's smile, Shuuzou's sure of it, and he sometimes wonders why it is that all the beautiful people he knows are definitely kind of evil, "let's go for a ride tonight."

"Okay," he says, because if he can't beat some sense into Tatsuya (he tried), he can at least keep him company and maybe curb some of his worse tendencies. Tatsuya hasn't been in a really dangerous fight in months now.

It's probably actually worse for them to steal the bikes and go for a ride than is for them to get in fights, at least, if they get caught. They might get some scrapes and bruises or broken bones in a fight, but getting arrested for stealing a motorbike is the kind of shit that follows you.

But Shuuzou knows that the feeling of the wind rushing past and the way the lights of the city look when you race past are somehow calming, and if he can somehow prevent Tatsuya from taking his rage out on other people and instead on racing around on a stolen bike, well.

They haven't been caught yet.

Tatsuya never steals the same bike twice. Shuuzou doesn't know how he figures out who to steal from, who has enough gas to get a good ride out and back, who won't notice the bike's gone for the duration of their trip. Sometimes he fills up the tanks if he feels in a particularly good mood on the way home, but they don't have _that_ much disposable income between them.

Shuuzou doesn't think too much about it when Tatsuya takes him to where the bikes he's scoped out are, and doesn't ask too much when they both hotwire the bikes. With the little he knew about Shuuzou's history at the time, Tatsuya hadn't been too surprised when he'd seen him do it the first time, but Shuuzou had probably been more surprised than he should have when Tatsuya hadn't needed his help to do it either.

They take off, and it's probably super dumb to ride without helmets, but the wind is blowing Tatsuya's hair off his face, and Shuuzou feels invincible the way they always tell you teenage boys feel right before they do something stupid and dangerous to get themselves killed or seriously injured, but he can't care when the edge of fury has melted from Tatsuya's expression, and he can see his face properly for once. While there's something alluring about the mystery of Tatsuya's hidden eye, Shuuzou likes when he gets to see it; it feels like something special, something he's been trusted to hold close.

They're definitely going to kill themselves if they get hit or fall, with no protective gear or anything, but there's a rush there too, like when you're playing an exhilarating game of basketball, and it's not perfect victory or definite loss, but a desperate battle; and the lights are beautiful and blinding as they race through a city that never properly sleeps.

They never take the same routes twice when they do this. Tatsuya always leads their route, but Shuuzou doesn't mind. Tatsuya's the one who needs this, after all. He's just here to look out for him. Mostly, anyway. It feels better than it should to do this; it always leaves him feeling guilty afterwards, because this is the kind of behaviour his father did his best to squash in him before he got sick. But he's not going to leave Tatsuya to fuck everything up on his own if he can, and he trusts Shuuzou to be here with him. One day, he'll figure out how to make it enough to get through to him; for now, he'll just do his best not to be like he was before.

They're flying past lights of all colours, but Shuuzou never takes his eyes off Tatsuya and the road. He's always so damnably beautiful, especially lit up by the lights of a city he knows like the back of his hand.

Shuuzou's always been so weak to pretty things, and only finds them more fascinating when they have dangerous edges.

They stop on a quiet hill somewhere, and Shuuzou has no idea where they are; they're not high enough to have some kind of view over the city, but there's still an array of lights and buildings that's somehow worth seeing, maybe only because of the way this moment feels.

"Feeling better?"

Tatsuya looks at him from the corner of his visible eye, and smiles.

"A little."


	9. Space and Coffee Shop AU

Originally handwritten over a few days and then edited and typed up on my phone for submission to basketballpoetsociety's Challenge 111: Rare Pair Battle on 19/2/2015.

Space/Coffee Shop AU, prompted by Stephane Richer

* * *

Tatsuya's been working the coffee shop at this station for a few months when the ship docks.

Throughout his journey to get as far out from Earth as possible, Tatsuya had often found that the employment of an Earth-trained barista was a mark of pride for a space station. It was universally acknowledged that the synth stuff was just _not the same_, and the further from earth you got, the dinner the baristas tended to make the blends.

Though there was something to be said for local flavours, ship captains, especially from Earth or near-Earth colonies, almost always had an expression of relief upon discovering that this station had a barista who could do good, Earth-style coffee.

At the time the ship arrived, Tatsuya was saving to move on from this particular station. He wasn't far enough yet; he needed to get further. And he wanted to feel the thrum of the starship engine in his bones again. Some people hated it, but Tatsuya, usefully, found himself almost addicted to the sensation.

When a person was attempting to hop star systems on limited funds, you learned how to make yourself useful. Tatsuya had picked up a few things over his journey; ship mechanics could always use an extra hand, and classy ships with real prep and cook kitchens, as opposed to synth food dispensers in travellers' rooms, always needed an extra hand.

Probably one of the nicest luxury ships Tatsuya had seen - and in his time spent travelling the stars and working on space stations, he'd seen his fair share - the newest arrival to the station had surprisingly sleek exterior, for such a large ship. Tatsuya didn't know her name, but she barely fit in the dock. He was on his way to work when he paused to watch her manoeuvre into the station bay, and he couldn't help but respect the delicacy with which she was landed - clearly manually, by the way that the station workers were rushing about.

After watching the display of skill, Tatsuya had to hurry to work, because a new ship arrival meant customers, especially when word got out about him.

Though he clearly came in with the ship, when Shuu first came to the cafe following rumours of an Earth-trained barista, Tatsuya didn't know, or realise, that he was the captain of the beautiful luxury starship that just docked. What he did know about him was that he found him very attractive; that he was of a height with, perhaps maybe the slightest bit taller than, Tatsuya himself; that he was well-built; and he was comfortable navigating the passages of a space station. He paid little notice to the exceptional view that the cafe offered of the nearest planet to the station, and narrowed in on Tatsuya at the machine. Someone had clearly told him _who_ was Earth-trained. He tapped out his order at the counter, and approved the credit use with the palm of his hand, simple and easy, with the practice of one used to engaging with such systems.

If he looked Tatsuya over as he did, well. Tatsuya did like to say the planet view wasn't the only excellent one on offer at the cafe while he was there.

Usually, Tatsuya didn't make a habit of flirting with customers, or of giving out personal contact approval codes to strangers. But since this one had clearly arrived on the ship that just docked, and he was good-looking… well, Tatsuya had found that it never hurt to make friends, or have a good time with, people who worked on ships. Networking could be a great boon to those seeking work on ships, like Tatsuya often did to negate the cost of paying for passage. He could be shameless when it suited him, too; so it wasn't a difficult decision to make, to take the initiative to generate an authorisation code for both his contact details and his station lodgings. The ship would probably only be in the station for a few weeks, until its high-class passengers were done touring this system, but Tatsuya had high hopes, between his coffee skills and the way the man had looked at him.

Tatsuya took the cup over to the man himself - usually there's a bot he gets to do it - and he left it on the table with a wink and a tap on the tabletop, which left his codes glowing for the other man. It's very 21st Century-esque, but Tatsuya can own something dated like that easily, so it's never stopped him before.

He watches from under his eyelashes and behind his hair as the man raises his eyebrows at the codes shining at him from the tablescreen, and there was a curl to his lip when he took a sip of his drink.

Tatsuya knows he has him when the man closes his eyes and sighs over the taste of the drink, probably savouring the first good cup of coffee he's had in who knows how long. It's only a few seconds later when their contact information is swapped.

_Nijimura Shuuzou_

Tatsuya made himself look busy, though there's honestly not that much he has to do. Cleaning is handled by bots for the most part, though Tatsuya could clear and clean tables if he wasn't busy. Baked goods weren't made or synthesised in the store; as a boutique cafe, they had theirs sent up from a bakery with the specialist workers who preferred to live on the ground. When Tatsuya glanced over at Shuuzou, he doesn't seem fooled by Tatsuya's pretence of activity, watching him move about with a slight smirk.

When Tatsuya went over to clear Shuuzou's cup, he leaned over his shoulder and whispered, "I finish at 1700," into his ear.

Shuuzou nodded, and there may or may not be a slight flush to his cheeks that Tatsuya found rather sweet. When he left the cafe, he nodded to Tatsuya again, an implicit agreement to be here when Tatsuya is done, and Tatsuya felt jitters of excitement erupt in his stomach.

It's not even that he wants to get aboard the ship so badly, though he definitely does; the opportunity to be on board or work aboard such a ship is rare. But there's something he finds very attractive about the man himself, regardless of the opportunities he presents; Tatsuya wants him too.

When Tatsuya finished and passed off the cafe to the girl scheduled after him - a nice enough girl, though she has no real sense of taste for Earth-style coffee, which ruled her out to be trained as a replacement - Shuuzou is waiting for him outside, leaning against the wall with his hands deep in his pockets.

"Hi there," Tatsuya said, and smiled.

"Hi," was the response he got, and Shuuzou shuffled a little awkwardly. It could be inexperience - he doesn't seem much older than Tatsuya, if he's older at all - it could be that he's awkward now that he's had time to think about everything; or it could be that he's nervous, because Tatsuya knows he's beautiful, and sometimes people get nervous about embarrassing themselves in front of him when they're, arguably, on a date.

When Shuuzou pushed himself off the wall, Tatsuya smiled at him. He's used to making his potential conquests nervous, so he also knows how to soothe them, if he feels like doing so. For a man as handsome and well-positioned as Shuuzou, Tatsuya is more than happy to make him feel at ease. He started the conversation, asking about his interests, avoiding the subject of work; it turns out Shuuzou is Earthborn, like Tatsuya, and that they both love single ship racing and claim to be good, though neither delved into the question of why, if they're so good, they aren't racing for a living, perhaps because there are names and stories behind that decision that are either too obvious or too personal. What Tatsuya _does_ do, is change their course to the hangar bay. While none of the ships there are true racing calibre, one can still have a good race in them.

It's because of this choice that they don't end up in Tatsuya's room that 'night'; but Tatsuya was surprisingly okay with that. Flying felt easy and natural and _good_ for the first time in a while, and that's almost better than any sex.

Somewhere between their second and fifth race around the recreational courses, Tatsuya started calling him Shuu; and when Shuu told him they're docked here for about three weeks after they finally land back in the hangar bay, Tatsuya smiled and gave him his shift schedule for the rest of this week.

It's not until their third date, as Tatsuya liked to think of their racing expeditions, that they finally made it back to Tatsuya's rooms. Shuu isn't inexperienced, as it turns out, though clearly his job keeps him too busy to find someone to consistently share his bed, since he is a little out of practice. The way he touches Tatsuya is surprisingly sweet and gentle though, and almost unexpected after the proud and ferocious way he'd raced.

"Would you like a drink?" Tatsuya asked him after they woke from their nap. He let himself feel a little self-satisfied as Shuu looked over the exposed skin of his upper body lazily, still half-asleep.

"Please tell me you drink proper coffee at home," he grumbled.

Tatsuya just smiled as he got up. While synth coffee was shit, synthesised beans could make good coffee as long as you knew what you were doing with them and how to order them, and Tatsuya is as finicky about his coffee as any Earthborn human can get.

Shuu saw his smile, and subsequently let his face drop back into the pillow. Tatsuya got out of bed then, stretching lazily in case Shuu is doing that thing where he pretends he's not watching when he is. Tatsuya kept the ambient temperature of his rooms comfortable for the exact reason that he doesn't have to get dressed until he feels like it or has to, so he isn't bothered to pull on any clothes. It took him a moment to make their drinks, but the moment he walked back into his room, Shuu's head is turning toward the smell.

"Can I steal you?" Shuu asked while he sat up. Tatsuya laughed, because Shuu said it like it was a joke.

"Would I get work on your fancy ship, Shuu, or do you want me for more unspeakable purposes?"

"Both," Shuu answered, grinning slightly. His face sobered up quickly. "But seriously. What are you doing out here? It's not even a tourist station. Surely you can get better work with your skills. You'd have to be in demand."

"Travelling," Tatsuya told him, and left it at that. "I'd be happy to work for passage out further, so long as there's work."

"There's work," Shuu said, instantly. "My biggest complaint is the lack of decent coffee."

Tatsuya blinked. "What is your job on the ship, anyway?" he asked, belatedly. He'd been too distracted to check Shuu's basic information, though they'd both made it available to each other.

Shuu scowled, annoyed. "Please don't tell me you're into that Old Age-y crap about 'discovering' people," he said, "because if you are, I can tell you now this isn't going to work out."

Tatsuya laughed. "Hardly," he reassured him. "I've just been too distracted to snoop."

Shuu snorted into his drink. When he didn't seem to be forthcoming on saying something, Tatsuya leaned over to pull the information up on the tablescreen of his bedside table.

There were a few interesting things in the information Shuu had given him access too, which Tatsuya would come back to, but—

"You're the captain?" Tatsuya asked.

Shuu just shrugged.

Tatsuya looked it over again. Shuu let him read it for a bit, before casually pointing out something Tatsuya had noted before.

"Metrics say we're compatible, if you take stock in that at all."

They _did_ tend to be reliable, though of course everyone had horror stories about Life and Relationship Compatibility Metrics. Tatsuya didn't think they were the be all and end all like some, but didn't completely disregard them, either.

"I didn't need Metrics to tell me that," was his response, and he smiled at Shuu when he jostled him with his foot.

"Come," Shuu demanded, because it wasn't a request or a question how he said it, and Tatsuya put aside their cups before giving him a kiss.


	10. Space and Long Distance AU

Originally handwritten over a few days and then edited and typed up on my phone for submission to basketballpoetsociety's Challenge 111: Rare Pair Battle on 21/2/2015.

Space/Long Distance AU also prompted by stephanericher - unrelated to the previous ficlet despite the similar setting.

* * *

Shuuzou drums his fingers against the table surface as he waits for the call to pick up.

Shuuzou had first met Tatsuya on a racecourse at Gliese 667. They had both lost the race to a rookie racer new to the circuit - the blond boy had smiled at them before bouncing and sparkling his way towards one Aomine Daiki.

They had shared resigned looks - Himuro Tatsuya's slight, rueful smile had made Shuuzou do a double-take, because he realised simultaneously that a) he had both never seen him with with his helmet off despite all the times they'd raced each other, and b) Himuro Tatsuya was potentially the most beautiful person he'd ever seen, including the extraordinarily pretty blond kid who'd just resoundingly beaten them.

They had raced before, but they'd never been introduced, or even spoken. In the face of such beauty, Shuuzou found himself wanting to speak to him, and also stumbling over his Galactic Standard when he did.

"It was a good race," was what he managed to get out, and Tatsuya's short laugh had been rueful and maybe a little bitter.

"Yes," he said. And, "You beat me again."

Honestly, Shuuzou had stopped counting the wins and losses that circulated between himself, Tatsuya, and the other racers of their age, all of whom were losing their places at the forefront of the racing circuit to younger and infinitely more talented pilots. Pilots like the boy who'd just beaten them (the board was still displaying the results to the side while the rest showed the progress of the current race - Ryouta, Kise was the name at the top of the list) and Aomine Daiki, and Akashi Seijuurou, who Shuuzou himself had helped to train, among others.

Still, his own name sat in second place (Shuuzou, Nijimura) above that of Tatsuya, Himuro, so he had hummed, spared him a smile and offered his hand to shake.

It was an ignominious start, Shuuzou would admit, but then, neither one of them was very romantic.

And now here he is, two and a half years later on the other side of the goddamn galaxy from Tatsuya, because his boyfriend is beautiful but also an utterly idiotic little shit, and he'd gone out to train at fucking Kepler 442, and exactly _why_ he'd had to go off that far was beyond Shuuzou, honestly, but it had been six months of inter-system calls and if he didn't love this asshole so much, he's probably have called it by now.

(Tatsuya was a messy pile of insecurity, ambition and pride, and Shuuzou had always known things would be hard, that _Tatsuya_ would be difficult and stubborn; he could give up, could find someone happier or sweeter or more secure, but even at his worst, Shuuzou is proud to say Tatsuya is _his_ messy pile of issues, so he just holds fast and doesn't let Tatsuya convince him he really actually wants to let go.)

When Tatsuya finally answers, he looks like he always does; tired, and pretending not to be. It makes Shuuzou twitch, the urge to order him to eat better, sleep more, fucking _rest_ for a goddamn minute, but he is not Tatsuya's parent, and Tatsuya won't listen anyway.

"Hey," he says instead, because he misses him in all his screwed up glory, and talking to him will be the best part of his day.

"Shuu," Tatsuya greets him, and his tone is warm, a tone directed to very few people and one that Shuuzou treasures, and lets wrap comfortingly around him. "Hi. How are you?"

_Better than you_, he thinks. "Fine," he actually answers. "Been busy, but its fine."

He never really stops missing Tatsuya, after all, and keeping busy helps to distract him from the dull ache that sits with him all the time, a feeling he's learned to live with because he had to.

"Don't overdo things," Tatsuya says, and Shuuzou snorts as much because he is being hypocritical as because he's always careful about his limits these days.

"What about you?" he asks. Tatsuya will lie - he always does - but Shuuzou will always ask anyway. Maybe one day, Tatsuya will be honest; but until then, Shuuzou has bent himself to the task of learning the tiny ways that Tatsuya gives himself away, the ways that his body tells the truths he tries to hide. It's harder at this distance, when there are literal light years between their physical bodies and Tatsuya just _had_ to choose the one place without virtuality of holo-conference capabilities because the planet and system is still so newly settled that advanced, luxury communications haven't been set up yet.

"I'm great," Tatsuya says. "I'm working hard, but it's going to be worth it."

He's working himself too hard, then. Par the course, really. Shuuzou sighs to himself.

"I miss you," he says - it's easier to say now than it was six months ago, when he blushed red over the sentiment. Tatsuya never says as much, but Shuuzou knows he needs to hear it, and it's why he says it, even though the expression feels so embarrassing and difficult to say.

"Yeah," Tatsuya answers - he never says he misses Shuuzou, and Shuuzou knows he won't admit it, that this is as close as Tatsuya will get to the expression.

He's okay with that; at least, he is now, most of the time. Tatsuya's not the type to openly admit to such close-held things, things that make him feel vulnerable. With the way they're separated, sometimes he feels uneasy, sometimes feels like maybe he doesn't mean to Tatsuya what Tatsuya means to him; but then Tatsuya will say something, remember a date Shuuzou forgot, or his body, the body Shuuzou has been learning for years, that he is still learning, will tell him the things Tatsuya cannot speak, and it settles him.

He never wants to cut their conversations short, but half an hour after Tatsuya picks up the call, Shuuzou can tell he's fighting his exhaustion and refusing to give in to his body's likely desperate need to rest, just to spend a little longer speaking to him, and it makes him feel so endlessly tender towards Tatsuya, as well as annoyed, because he's not taking care of himself.

"Go to bed, Tatsuya," he orders him. "I'll message you tomorrow. Rest, and we'll speak again soon, alright?"

Tatsuya looks like he's going to argue, going to tell Shuuzou that he can stay longer, that he's not that tired, but Shuuzou settles into his patented stubborn face, and evidently Tatsuya doesn't have the spare energy to argue.

"Alright," Tatsuya says. He's got a regretful look on his beautiful face that Shuuzou wants to erase. "We'll talk in a few days?"

"Yeah," Shuuzou agrees. "So finish getting better soon and come home, idiot."

Tatsuya laughs at that, and Shuuzou is glad to get a smile on his face again before they say goodnight. Their talks should make Tatsuya feel better, easier about the distance he's put between them.

"Rest well, Tatsuya," he says and Tatsuya returns the wish before the screen goes dark.

Shuuzou sits up, sighs, stretches and attempts not to dwell on how empty their apartment feels again.


	11. Tortall AU

NijiHimus as always, for stephanericher; was supposed to be written for rare pair battle, but due to being overseas at the time, was not.

AU fusion prompt for medieval+reunion aka covert request for Tortall AU drabble fic

* * *

It's the longest Tatsuya's been away since this _thing_ between them started – two whole, long years full of incredibly sporadic letters from places Shuuzou will probably never see, between the responsibilities of learning to manage Trebond and making sure they have the money to fund whatever dreams his siblings might have; and that's not even touching the unruly squire he picked up six months ago. Daiki is a promising warrior, even though the Goldenlake brat is supremely useless at anything else.

But it's been a long time. So when Shuuzou got a letter saying that Tatsuya was headed back Tortall way, he's almost instantly impossibly restless. Even Daiki can tell, and the kid's everyday perceptiveness is literally the worst Shuuzou's ever seen, almost as if in compensation for the incredible situational awareness and perception he has with a weapon in his hand.

Tatsuya sent word ahead that he was only a few days out, so on the day he's supposed to arrive, Shuuzou gives in to his need to be _doing_ something, bringing about their reunion just that touch faster, and prepares his horse to go out to meet him. Only, he's completely unable to convince Daiki to stay at Trebond Castle, so the brat's riding with him, looking for all and intents and purposes, quite smug.

Shuuzou took some little consolation in the fact that he'll be less smug when he learns they're here to meet Shuuzou's lover, but it's his own fault for insisting on riding with him. Shuuzou kind of hopes maybe it'll make the kid think about his own situation – the name _Ryouta of Naxen_ was all-too-well-known at Trebond – but he's become too well acquainted with Daiki of Goldenlake and Malorie's Peak to believe something that subtle will get through his thick skull.

Tatsuya kept him waiting at their meeting point, of course; they have a spot, the one that Shuuzou always sees him off at and welcomes him at, if he can. It's the point where the road towards the Trebond fiefdom meets the more well-travelled road that travels north to the Scanran border and south towards Corus. It's just Tatsuya's way; he likes to make an entrance.

But still, Shuuzou was pretty relieved that he doesn't make him wait too long. They've been apart for so long, and he's _missed_ Tatsuya. He's terrible at letter writing, after all; the letters he's received over the years are devoid of substance. Sometimes he's not even sure where the letter has come from, because Tatsuya completely neglects to mention what country he's in now, or what city, or sometimes even if he travelled between cities at all. He's also kind of emotionally stunted and completely incapable of letting his defences down long enough to admit he misses Shuuzou too, even in a letter.

But Shuuzou has treasured the damn letters anyway, and if he's hoped more than once over the last few years that the drifting nature of a Shang warrior will settle a little in him and keep Tatsuya close by, or at least not quite so far away from Trebond as he journeyed this time, it's something he keeps close to his chest and doesn't admit either.

His first sight of Tatsuya in two years made his stomach do a funny twist, and his heartbeats accelerate. He was grinning, he realised as he walks slowly in the direction of Tatsuya and his horse, but he's fairly sure there's a small smile on Tatsuya's face, so he'll be damned if he can be bothered to hide it. Tatsuya swung himself off his horse not far from Shuuzou, while he was still moving – Shuuzou's not sure where Tatsuya found such a placid beast to tolerate him as a rider – and Shuuzou doesn't bother reining in the urge to grab him. It served Tatsuya right for being away for so long, after all, and it's not as if Tatsuya isn't strong enough to get away from him if he wanted to.

"Hi," Tatsuya said. "Did you miss me, Shuu?"

He doesn't bother to answer – instead he drew him in for a kiss.

"Gross! Can't that wait until you get home?"

Shuuzou could feel Tatsuya's sly smile curve wickedly against his mouth before he drew away, earlier than Shuuzou would have liked. When Shuuzou let Tatsuya go and turned around, he realised Daiki's cheeks were very pink, and snorted.

"Shuu, you should introduce me," Tatsuya said. His visible eye was positively dancing with wicked intentions, and he curled an arm around Shuuzou. "I didn't know you'd taken a squire."

"Goldenlake, I didn't make you come with me," Shuuzou pointed out. "You don't get to complain. Tatsuya, this is Daiki of Goldenlake and Malorie's Peak. Daiki, this is Himuro Tatsuya, the Shang Seahorse."

Daiki's expression turned from embarrassment to almost looking like he was going to burst with excitement faster that Shuuzou could even blink. He wasn't exactly _surprised_; Daiki, who gloried in a challenge, would be eager to pit himself against a fully trained Shang warrior. He was quick to reach out and flick his head.

"You still have way too much to learn to come close to challenging Tatsuya," he said.

"You say the sweetest things about me, Shuu," Tatsuya commented. He looked Daiki over for a moment, before leaning over to kiss Shuuzou's cheek. Daiki's embarrassed expression swiftly reappeared; but this time, he bit his tongue on his complaint.

"Come on, let's go home," Shuuzou said. "The brats missed you too, you know."

Tatsuya's smile was slight, warm and regretful. "I missed them too," he admitted before letting go of Shuuzou to get back on his horse, "but that's just how things are."

That didn't mean any of them had to _like_ it, Shuuzou wanted to tell him, but this was not a conversation to be had in front of Daiki, or on Tatsuya's first night home, so he let it go. The topic of Tatsuya's wandering ways would come up again sooner than Shuuzou wanted it to anyway.

As they ride back, Daiki asked a variation The Question.

"Doesn't your hair get in the way like that?"

Shuuzou glanced at Tatsuya, who is smiling slightly. He looked, for all intents and purposes, quite relaxed, but Shuuzou knew better – there's a slight tenseness to his shoulders unrelated to the fact that he's riding a horse.

Tatsuya brushed his hair aside, exposing the scarring of the skin and milkiness of the eye that doesn't work, and Daiki stared very openly in a mix of gruesome fascination and awe. Shuuzou leaned over to smack the back of his head hard as Tatsuya lets the hair fall back into place, all the answer to Daiki's question he needs.

Daiki's keen to know how it happened, and as Tatsuya begun spinning yet _another_ bullshit tale – sometimes Shuuzou wondered if he spent all his time riding between cities thinking up stories to answer this very question, because he's never heard the same one twice – Shuuzou sighed, and let the sound of Tatsuya's voice wash over him. He is safe and home, and here with him once more, looking no worse for wear; the prickliness and restlessness that built up over his absence has dissipated from under his skin, leaving only warmth.

He does his best not to laugh at the ridiculous tale Tatsuya is spinning, because Daiki is caught up in it, and wishes that he could touch Tatsuya easily.  
To pass the rest of the time to reaching Trebond, the place where he can finally, finally touch him again, he lets himself be drawn into Tatsuya's fantastical tale.


End file.
